When incompetence in the Kremlin turns murderous, its incumbents can begin to tremble. As news of the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 over Ukraine trickled into Russia, people with a long memory recalled the Soviet Union's attack, 31 years ago this September, on Korean Air Lines Flight 007, and its political consequences. Back then, the Kremlin first lied to the world by saying that it had nothing to do with the missing KAL plane. Later it claimed that the South Korean jet was on an American spy mission. But, within the Soviet leadership, the incident was a tipping point.

Far more than being simply a source for news and current events, newspapers and other mass media outlets provide a voice for the people as well as a place where officials can be held accountable and questioned by any and all citizens.

A twisted turn of events led to the coinciding of the European elections with the presidential election in Ukraine. And the contrast couldn't be starker. In Ukraine, people strove and fought for Western-style democracy, whereas here, many are left disillusioned by just that. The results show how many people have turned their backs on Europe and are now following the siren calls from the extreme ends of the political spectrum. Voters have granted populists of all colors sweeping victories in many countries, establishing them as mainstream parties and making their political views more and more socially acceptable. This is the real historical moment of this election: the return to our own past, the return to a history whose long shadows we have been trying to eradicate. The election results render true what Marx knew many years ago: that history repeats itself -- first as tragedy, second as farce.

The annexation of Crimea guaranteed the long-term security of the Sevastopol base. But that was only one of several concerns for Russia raised by the conduct and composition of the new Ukrainian government. Other equally important concerns remain, and until they are addressed, Russia will continue to apply pressure on Kiev. Given the current and likely future underrepresentation of eastern Ukraine in the central government, Russia insists that Ukraine be transformed from a highly centralized unitary state into a highly decentralized federal state in which the regions control their economy, taxes, culture, language and education.